


Partners in Crime

by foghaslifted



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Lance Strongbow Appreciation Week, i hate titles and descriptions i am Crying, idk theyre just buds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:22:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29072478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foghaslifted/pseuds/foghaslifted
Summary: Arnie had a goal to get through to Eugene, no matter how much he tried to push him away. How hard could it be, right?
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Lance Strongbow
Kudos: 12





	Partners in Crime

Arnie made it his goal to get through to Eugene.

Ever since Arnie arrived at the orphanage, Eugene seemed even more distant than the other kids. He figured it was just because they were both around the same age, so Eugene saw him as some kind of competition. Still, he was _determined_ to make friends with him.

Arnie’s family was… no longer in the picture, but he figured he could make a new family in the orphanage, starting with Eugene. However, the contempt the boy seemed to have for him was proving to be an impassable obstacle. 

“Eugene!” Arnie waved from across the room as he walked in. Eugene’s face remained stoic as he looked up, but that didn’t make Arnie falter. “Hey, buddy, how’s it going?”

“Splendid,” he deadpanned. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to see if _someone_ wanted to go visit the creek and check out the lizards,” he grinned, nudging Eugene’s arm.

“Go ask Lacey, she likes reptiles.”

Arnie frowned and looked over at the person Eugene suggested. She was about 2, and was currently trying to see if she could stick her toe up her nose. Not exactly who he wanted to spend time with.

“Actually, I meant maybe the two of _us_ could!”

“No.”

“Oh. Okay. Maybe another time?”

“ _Maybe_ you can stop bothering me.”

Arnie deflated as the other boy walked away. That didn’t go the way he had hoped it would. Maybe Eugene needed more time to grow used to him. Arnie had only been at the orphanage for a few weeks, after all. Eugene would warm up to him eventually. 

He decided he would give Eugene space for a while, then try again another day.

He couldn’t wait long. Arnie was walking up to Eugene 2 days later, hoping for more luck this time. It was looking like that wasn’t going to be the case when he saw Eugene roll his eyes as he approached. “What?”

“Hey Eugene, do you want to go-”

“No.”

“You didn’t let me finish!”

Eugene crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you,” he spat. “I don’t want to be your friend, so stop trying.”

That made Arnie even more frustrated than before. Why was he being so stubborn? Why was he refusing to even _consider_ becoming friends? He didn’t even give him a chance! “But _why_? What did I do wrong?” he all but screamed.

Eugene hesitated, a look of surprise and sadness flickering across his face before returning back to his usual scowl. “I don’t need to explain myself to you,” he mumbled, storming out. Arnie wanted to follow him, but figured that that wouldn’t be much help. He watched as the other boy strode away, leaving any chance they could have had at a friendship behind him. 

Arnie might have to give up. He would have to look for a different friend in the orphanage, or just wait until he was adopted to have another family. As much as he wanted to be friends with Eugene, he couldn’t seem to get through to him no matter what. Any attempt at a conversation was immediately shut down, much to his frustration. He couldn’t even get close enough to find out _why_ Eugene refused to talk to him.

He couldn’t sleep that night. Usually, he was out like a light as soon as he got into bed, but tonight he stared at the ceiling above him, lost in thought. 

If he couldn’t befriend Eugene, he would have to stay alone for even longer. The other kids seemed to not want to talk to him as well and he couldn’t figure out why. All he wanted was to get along with them and to build some kind of friendship with the others, but it seemed like his luck was against him. Not that luck had really been on his side at all recently.

He wanted to move on with his life, but he could only remember his old family. The family that wasn’t there anymore. On nights when he couldn’t fall asleep, his mom used to read him stories until he finally felt sleepy. His dad would join sometimes, too, and all three of them would listen to the stories of Lance Archer’s adventures as the stars glistened outside the window. They were so happy together, until… 

Whatever. It was over. It was just hard to look forward to a new family when he had his old family ripped away from him so quickly. He couldn’t even see the stars clearly outside his window anymore, and his bed was stiff and cold. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard soft crying from a bed near him. It was one of the younger kids, probably around 3 years old. He felt bad for the kid, despite not knowing what he was crying about. Arnie used to have his family to comfort him when he cried, but he figured there wasn’t much comfort to be given around here.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” a soft voice whispered. “Stephen, kiddo, look at me. You’re okay.” If he didn’t know any better, he would swear that voice belonged to--

Arnie peeked up to see Eugene sitting at the kid’s bedside, putting an arm around his shaking form. The kid, apparently named Stephen, let out a small sob and curled up into Eugene’s arms. Stephen sniffled quietly as Eugene rubbed his back comfortingly, quietly reminding him to breathe. 

“Hey, have I ever told you the story of the time Flynn Rider battled a ferocious dragon?” he asked softly. Stephen shook his head and looked up excitedly, his face still stained with tears.

Eugene launched into a story about when Flynnigan Rider was sailing across the sea and got suddenly attacked by a huge fire-breathing dragon. Arnie sat up in bed, quietly listening as he recounted the tale, though Eugene didn’t seem to notice that anyone else was awake.

“...As the dragon drew closer, Flynn raised his sword above his head, then swung it down to strike it one last time. The dragon let out a final roar as it fell to the ground,” he narrated. He glanced down to see that Stephen had fallen back asleep, his sobs long gone. He smiled, then stood up carefully so he wouldn’t wake the younger boy.

“What happened next?” Arnie piped up, making Eugene jump. Surprisingly, though, he didn’t throw back up the emotional walls Arnie was used to seeing. Instead, he sat next to him on the edge of the bed and crossed his legs, his lips curving into a slight smile.

“Well, Flynn found out the dragon’s cave was full of gold, and brought some of it to his island. But he realized he didn’t really want all that treasure to himself, so he brought the rest of it to the mainland to give to the people who needed it.” 

Arnie grinned. “Flynn sounds awesome.”

Eugene lit up excitedly. “You should hear about his other adventures! He travels around the world, meeting so many people and going on daring quests. He has battles with all kinds of monsters, and always comes out victorious!” he rambled. Then, he shrugged and cleared his throat. “But, you know that’s kid stuff. I only read it for the little ones.”

Arnie scoffed at that. “Come on, this doesn’t seem like _just_ kid stuff. I was enjoying the story a lot, there’s nothing wrong with liking someone as incredible as Flynn Rider.”

Eugene brightened back up and nodded, the smile on his face growing again. “You should read the Flynn Rider books, they’re all _even more_ incredible than they sound.”

“I bet you would like Lance Archer, too. He’s a lot like Flynnigan, my mom used to read the books about him to me all the time.”

Eugene shifted uncomfortably, bringing his knees up to his chest. “What was your mom like?” he asked quietly.

“She was so cool. She would make me breakfast every day, and she would help me whenever I needed it, and- and…” Arnie tried to stop the tears from coming. He had been able to stop himself from crying since he had gotten here, but now it was all coming up at once. “She got hurt. And they couldn’t save her. Then after she was gone, my dad… didn’t want me anymore.” For the first time in weeks, he let himself openly cry around another person. As Arnie unsuccessfully tried to stop himself from crying, Eugene scooted closer to him and rested his head on the other boy’s shoulder. 

“Your mom sounds nice. Not your dad, though. He sounds like he sucks.”

Arnie let out a small laugh through his tears. “He didn’t always suck. When it was him, my mom, and me, we were all happy,” he said. “What about you? What were your parents like?”

Eugene snorted, though nothing was funny. “Your guess is as good as mine. I never knew ‘em.”

“Do you know why they left you here?”

He shook his head. “That’s the way it is with most of us here. We never knew our parents, we never got an explanation as to why we weren’t wanted. So when everyone found out you knew your parents…” he trailed off, but Arnie understood. That’s why Eugene had been so cold to him. He was mad that Arnie got to know his parents, and that he had a family for the first part of his life. Eugene had been here for as long as he could remember, the orphanage was the only family he had. He must have thought it was unfair that Arnie was living a happy life before coming to the orphanage, when Eugene never had a life before the orphanage.

“I’m sorry,” Arnie whispered.

“No, _I’m_ sorry for being mean to you over something that isn’t your fault. ...And I’m sorry to hear about your mom.”

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Eugene’s head still leaning on his friend’s shoulder. “Honestly, I have faith my parents are going to come back for me someday,” he said suddenly, whispering like it was a secret. “I just haven’t really made it easy to find me.”

“What do you mean?”

Eugene laughed softly. “I was originally put in an orphanage a few kingdoms over, but I kept causing trouble so they kept needing to transfer me. I don’t even know where I’m from anymore,” he joked, though his eyes looked sad. 

“Hey, maybe we’ll get adopted, and you won’t even need your birth parents. You’ll have a whole new family,” Arnie suggested, full of hope. Eugene just pursed his lips and looked down at the floor.

“I’m not holding my breath. The older kids never get adopted.”

Arnie’s heart sunk. He had been pinning at least a small amount of hope on getting adopted and gaining a new family, but hearing that Eugene had pretty much given up hope almost made him want to, too. Instead, he decided he would keep a positive attitude, that way he would have enough hope for both him and Eugene. Besides, even if he didn’t end up getting adopted, he and Eugene could be a pretty good family on their own. 

After that night, the two boys were inseparable. Arnie read all the Flynn Rider books, and Eugene read all the Lance Archer books. They talked about the stories, and drew pictures of the heroes’ adventures. They even imagined what it would be like to go on heroic adventures of their own, to explore the world together, side by side. 

Arnie had pretty much lost his hope that they were going to get adopted, but he didn’t really care anymore. As long as he had his best friend with him, he knew the future would turn out just fine after all.

*

Those are the memories Lance likes to think about now, sitting in his cell with Mr. Kilpatrick. It’s late at night, but he can’t fall asleep. These were the kinds of nights that he and Flynn used to go on heists together, under the cover of night.

But he had heard some distressing news from a guard earlier. They said that Flynn Rider had been executed in Corona for stealing the Lost Princess’s crown. He was hanged that morning. There was nothing he could do to save him, or just see him one last time.

Lance just couldn’t believe Flynn had gotten caught, he was always so stealthy. Sure, he liked to take big risks, but Lance couldn’t believe it had come to _this._

Flynn used to say that he didn’t have to outrun the guards, he just had to outsmart his partners. Apparently his partners for that job were the Stabbingtons, so it couldn’t have been that hard to outsmart them, right? What could have happened?

Lance curls up in bed, unable to stop thinking about Flynn. He’s going to be released from prison in a few months, and he was looking forward to reuniting with his best friend. They would be able to pull another job just like old times, and they would be the world’s most notorious crime duo again. Besides, he had _just_ figured out where the Baron’s new hideout is, and nothing brought the two of them closer together than long-awaited revenge did.

Months later, he’s released from jail, ready to be a free man for the first time in a long time. He might take a break from crime. Just a short break, though. He’ll turn back to crime as soon as a worthwhile job comes around. Breaking into the Baron’s house seems like a good option, though it won’t be the same without Flynn.

He decides to first steal something from Corona, in honor of his friend. Pulling a job in the place where his friend pulled his last seemed like the right way to respect his memory. He confidently makes his way to the kingdom, planning a one-man heist so outrageous, it would make Flynn proud. 

From what he had heard, a lot has changed in Corona since he was last there. Not only has the Lost Princess returned, but they’ve started reforming their prison system. _Figures, they abolish the death penalty_ **_after_ ** _Flynn is hanged,_ he thought. 

In a city near the outskirts of Corona, he finds a newspaper stand where the attendant doesn’t seem to be paying much attention. He easily slips one of the newspapers away to read up on some of the changes made in the kingdom, figuring that he should probably study up on what the kingdom is like before committing a major heist. 

What he sees in the paper, though, shocks him beyond belief.

_Eugene Fitzherbert_ had saved the Lost Princess, and is now _living in the castle._

Lance chuckled under his breath, feeling a huge weight lifted off his chest. This means that not only is Flynn _alive,_ but now he must be planning some huge job from _inside_ the castle. He has to get in on this.

_Of course_ Flynn is alive, Lance knows there’s no way he could’ve gotten caught in the first place. He had escaped his own death sentence, and managed to con his way into the castle. A classic Flynn Rider heist, of course!

He’ll wait until tomorrow to go to Corona and surprise Flynn. It’ll be just like old times again. He’ll get Flynn in on revenge against the Baron first, then Flynn will let him in on whatever he’s planning to steal from the castle. 

Lance looks towards the small bit of the kingdom he could see from where he was standing, feeling substantially better knowing that Flynn was alive and well over there. Things are going to turn out just fine after all.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> lance, babe, im so sorry for making you join the "dead mom terrible dad" club :(


End file.
